


Camping Days

by Mortia



Series: Seasons [1]
Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Best Friends, Friendship, Gen, I love everything about this tags existence, Natsume Takashi Protection Squad, Tickling, worried friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23723929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mortia/pseuds/Mortia
Summary: During a camping trip, Natsume disappears without a word for several hours, returning later unharmed but exhausted. His friends aren't happy about that.
Series: Seasons [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729630
Comments: 9
Kudos: 155





	Camping Days

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been obsessing over this (mostly dead?) fandom lately. I've recently rewatched the entire 6 seasons and I'm craving MORE. So here's the friendship fluff/tickle fic that absolutely no one asked for but I wrote anyway...
> 
> Enjoy!

Going on a camping trip with his friends near the forest went as well as you would expect for Natsume. Places less frequented by humans tended to be more frequented by Youkai and forests in particular were home to a lot of them. With his tendency to attract Youkai trouble, Natsume knew that this trip was a bad idea from the start. 

Still Nishimura had apparently found a new campground that he wanted to check out and had been excitedly suggesting a camping trip for a while. Kitamoto and Tanuma had eventually agreed to go and Natsume didn't want to be left behind.

To Nishimura's credit, the campsite facilities were pretty neat; run by a young, friendly, nature-loving city couple that had just moved into the countryside. The facilities were new and well-kept and the camping area itself was located in a small clearing on the edge of the forest, protected by luscious trees and natural tranquillity. Flowers were just starting to bloom in the early spring weather, covering parts of the ground in soft, colourful blankets. It was quiet and peaceful. 

Still, Natsume wasn't surprised when, not even a day into the trip, his peace was disrupted by a big shadowy Youkai mistaking him for Reiko and forcefully dragging him around the forest, ignoring his struggles and protests. He seemed cheerful and friendly though, excited to see Reiko again, eager to play and make up for lost time. After Nyanko-sensei assured him that the "pathetic wimp was harmless", Natsume relaxed and let himself be led but gently informed his new Youkai companion of Reiko's passing when he finally managed to get him to calm down and listen. The intemporal sadness that filled the Youkai's demeanour was familiar by now but still made him feel bad for being the bearer of the bad news. Natsume wondered if he would ever get used to it.

By the time the Youkai explained his story, Natsume returned his name and they parted ways, the sun was starting to set. With sensei's sulking company at another name returned and a lighter Book of Friends, Natsume tiredly made his way back to camp where his friends were now frantically searching for him. When they found him, Nishimura, Kitamoto and Tanuma immediately flocked him.

"Natsume! Are you okay?? What happened??", Tanuma.

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you for hours!", Kitamoto.

"You can't just disappear without saying anything, Natsume! What if you were eaten by a bear??", Nishimura, ignoring Kitamoto's subsequent exasperated comment about there being no bears in these woods.

All three boys were equipped with lanterns and various supplies, looking ready for a rescue mission. Natsume immediately felt guilty at the genuine worry and relief they exude as they fuss over him.

"I'm fine! I just went for a walk in the forest and got lost. I'm so sorry!" He rushed to explain, feeling terrible for the lie. It's not like he could tell them the truth but even if he could, he felt that no excuse would justify the trouble he caused them.

"Don't scare us like that! You were gone for hours without a word! We thought something had happened" Kitamoto tells him.

"I'm really sorry!" He said again, bowing deeply.

He tried to smile reassuringly at Tanuma who was giving him anxious looks before the latter turned to look at Nyanko-sensei next to him for confirmation that he was really okay. The cat's silent, unconcerned stare and lazy stretching seemed to reassure him more than Natsume's tentative smile did. He relaxed a bit but threw the golden-haired boy a meaningful look, demanding a proper explanation later.

After that, Tanuma helped him rein in Nishimura and Kitamoto's worried reprimands, suggesting that they talk about it over dinner and around the campfire, to ward off some of the incoming night chill. Natsume felt a surge of gratefulness for his dark-haired friend, silently resolving to make it up to him later. Soon, they're back to their campsite, lightly arguing over dinner preparations.

Still exhausted from being dragged around the forest all day and returning the Youkai's name, Natsume accepts his friends' light-hearted teasing over his talent of getting in trouble, still feeling guilty and miserable for the worry he caused them. His moping mood does not go unnoticed by his attentive friends.

It's Nishimura who addresses it first. He sighs in surrender from his seat around the campfire. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. We'll forgive you if you promise not to run off on your own again and accept the Penalty."

Natsume frowns in confused "The penalty?"

Nishimura exchanges a look with Kitamoto, whose eyes light up in understanding, and they both seem to reach a silent mutual agreement before Kitamoto replies, "Yeah, the Penalty. For worrying us".

"... What penalty?"

At that, identical mischievous smiles bloom on both boys' lips before they both get up and start to advance on him, hands twitching in preparation. Looking alarmed and suddenly worried that he seriously messed up this time, Natsume tries to get up as well but his tired, unsteady limbs are slow to respond. He doesn't have a lot of time to worry over his friends' suddenly threatening demeanour before they're upon him, pinning him to the ground. His confused questions die on his lips as they start... tickling him...?

For a moment, he's so surprised that he barely reacts at all, eyes widening and mouth opening in surprise. Instead of the pain he expected, the touch he feels is soft and unfamiliar. A jolting sensation suddenly lights up his nerve endings, as his friends dig around his sides and ribs. As quickly as they came, the shock and worry dissipate and an uncontrollable urge to laugh and squirm settles in. Natsume can't help the strangled laugh that leaves him as he exhales the tension away.

Once he starts laughing, he can't seem to stop as Nishimura and Kitamoto continue tickling him, Nishimura enthusiastically fast and unpredictable, and Kitamoto more subdued but devastatingly precise. The bright laughter and embarrassing squeals bursting out of his mouth only seem to encourage them further as they trade delighted (downright evil, Natsume thinks) grins over him, fingers expertly keeping up with his squirming and persistently pursuing his ticklish spots. And together, they find plenty of them, much to Natsume's surprise and dismay.

He had seen other people get tickled before but had never experienced it himself. Like most forms of human connection as he grew up, it had always seemed like something out of his reach. He was just too different, too weird, too _troublesome_ ; no one wanted to play with him, let alone tickle him. He was probably not even ticklish anyway, he had thought.

He was _wrong_...

While keeping him pinned down and bypassing all of his defences, Nishimura and Kitamoto showed him that we wasn't _too anything_ to be ticklish.

"Gaaah! Gahahahuys, s-stohop!" Natsume finally managed to let out through the non-stop giggling.

"No way! You have to take the Penalty! Endure it like a man!" Nishimura replies, unable to contain his own laughter at his friend's contagious giggling.

"Yes! Those are the rules! The Penalty only stops when _we_ decide that you've had enough!" Kitamoto adds with a grin.

"Ahahahah, I'm sohohohorry!!" But his apology falls on deaf ears.

A particularly accurate squeeze on his hips (probably courtesy of Kitamoto, he doesn't even know at this point) has him squealing and jerking away so hard that he briefly manages to break free from the tormenting hands, before they grab his wrists and pull him back to their tickle circle. The same hand finds his hip again, searching around for that spot. Natsume chokes back a snort.

As he struggles helplessly against the assault, Natsume catches Tanuma out of the corner of his eye, looking bemused towards the scene on the other side of the campfire. Seeing hope, Natsume pleads for help.

"Tanuma! Hehehelp!" Knowing about his situation, Tanuma understood best that Natsume's disappearance today had not been intentional on his part. His supportive friend would surely help him.

Unfortunately, he must have either underestimated the worry he caused or overestimated his friend's goodwill because Tanuma hesitates a bit too long, looking a bit dazed at his giggling form, unsure of what to do.

The choice is taken out of his hands when Kitamoto speaks up then: "You help him, you're next." He sends a menacing grin over his shoulder at the dark-haired boy.

Tanuma's eyes widen and he unconsciously shifts away, while Nishimura bursts out laughing, immediately backing up Kitamoto's threat. Tanuma shoots an apologetic look at Natsume, shrugging his response, but not looking very sorry at all. The traitor.

And so, Natsume endures. Despite his protests, he doesn't really mind. It's a conflicting feeling; he can't fight the urge to struggle but he feels giddy and he's laughing harder than he remembers ever laughing. If this is the price for his friends' happiness and forgiveness, he doesn't mind taking the Penalty for them.

When Nishimura and Kitamoto finally stop, he's breathing hard, tears brightening the corners of his eyes, and smile firmly stuck on his lips. He lies on his back bonelessly on the uneven ground, the combined spiritual and physical exhaustion making his limbs feel heavy and limp like wet noodles. The starry sky stares back at him, clear and peaceful above them, and he feels ready to fall asleep right there on the ground. 

Without looking, he can sense Nyanko-sensei's warm round body next to him, radiating amusement and a teasing intent informing him that he would be harassed later for such a wimpy weakness. He's too tired and warm to care right now.

"You okay?", Nishimura asks.

"Y-yeah... yeah... Just really tired... I'm really sorry for disappearing like that."

"It's fine. Just don't do it again or the Penalty will be more severe next time." The tone is teasing and light-hearted but the worry in his eyes is genuine.

Natsume smiles but doesn't say anything. Unfortunately, that was a promise he couldn't make as he couldn't always avoid getting involved in Youkai business. Tanuma's knowing look as they clean up for bed tells him that his friend had caught on his line of thinking.

He sleeps peacefully that night and makes sure to avoid all Youkai for the rest of the camping trip.


End file.
